The Delta State Government has sacked some health workers who allegedly extorted pregnant women and children under five years, despite the state’s free healthcare policy.
Other health workers in the state were demoted for the alleged offence.
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The Commissioner for Health, Joseph Onojaeme, disclosed this at the flag-off of the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiatives Project in Ashaka, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.
He said the ministry had intensified monitoring of hospitals to ensure that funds released for maternal and child healthcare were properly utilised.
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“Health workers in the state have done well, but in every 12, there is a Judas. We have received reports of some collecting money from pregnant women and children under five for drugs, while still forwarding the bills to the government for payment.”
The commissioner stressed that the state covers the medical expenses of all pregnant women until delivery and provides free treatment for children under five.
“We have demoted some of these fraudulent workers and sacked many within this short period. With continuous monitoring and the support of mothers, these practices will reduce,” he added.
Mr Onojaeme urged residents to report any health worker demanding payment for maternal or child care, noting that the phone number of the executive assistant to the governor on health monitoring would be made public for such reports.
He also revealed that the state’s maternal mortality rate had dropped from over 200 to less than 120 per 100,000 live births, expressing optimism that the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiatives Project would further reduce the figures.
Speaking at the event, the representative of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, John Ovuoraye, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to supporting states in lowering maternal and neonatal deaths.
He said 172 local government areas across 33 states had been identified as high-risk zones, including five in the Delta – Ndokwa East, Ughelli North, Aniocha North, Udu, and Sapele.
Mr Ovuoraye said that the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiatives Project, supported by President Bola Tinubu, is being implemented in collaboration with USAID, WHO, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and several European partners.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of the project plaque to Delta State and the inauguration of a task force to ensure effective implementation of the project’s action plan.
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Similar incident
In November 2024, the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, ordered the arrest and prosecution of six health workers for allegedly selling and diverting materials meant for the state’s Ministry of Health.
The governor later suspended Moses Ekuma, the health commissioner in the state, for three months for not showing the “capacity” to manage the ministry.
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